Supporting hinge brackets for drop leaves



Feb. 19, 1957 P. s. GASTON SUPPORTING HINGE BRACKETS FOR DROP LEAVESFiled Jan. 18, 1956 Awe/1121" Pau/ 5. 6057047 United tidtfiS pgt p ,7 23H SUPPORTIN G HINGE BRACKETS FOR DROP LEAVES Paul S. Gaston, Washington,D. C. Application January 18, 1956, Serial No.,559,956

I 4 Claims. (Cl. 311- 64) A This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements and structural refinements in the art of supporting andihinging drop leaves on tops of tables, shelves, and the like, andinp'articular the invention concerns itself with structural arrangementsof this general nature wherein the drop leaf supporting means include afolding or col l'apsible strut.

As such, it is the conventional practice to pivotally connect one end ofthe supporting strut to the drop leaf and similarly connect the otherend of the strut to the customary side board or panel secured to thetable legs at the underside of the top. A'hinged connection of the dropleaf to the table top permits the leaf to be lowered while thesupporting strut is folded, or alter- -natively, the usual self lockingarrangement of the strut serves to sustain the drop leaf in its openedor horizontally extended position.

While this conventional arrangement is generally satisfactory, itnevertheless has several disadvantages, one "of these being that thedrop leaf hinge and the supporting strut are separate entities,requiring most careful installation or positioning of the strut inrelation to thehinge during assembly, in order to assure that thefolding action of the strut will permit the drop leaf to be lower'ed.

M oreover, several types of tables are not provided with theabovernentioned side board or panel, and in "such instances thesupporting strut and drop leaf cannot be installed unless the sideboard, panel or some equivalent thereof is first added to the structure.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to avoid theabove outlined difiiculties, this being achieved by providinga combinedsupporting and hinge bracket which, as a unit, may be quickly and easilyattached to both the table-top and the drop leaf for cooperation withthe conventional supporting strut, the latter, when in situ, coactingwith the bracket to afford supporting means which may be bodily mountedin place with assurance that the strut and the hinge are in properalignment.

An important feature of the invention resides in forming the bracket intwo sections, namely, a stationary section adapted for attachment to theunderside of the table topand a movable section adapted for attachmentto the underside of the drop leaf, the two sections of the bracket beinghingedly connected together to provide the hinge means for the drop leafand both sections having means for pivotally connecting opposite ends ofthe supporting strut thereto in a fixed relationship to the hinge means.

Another important feature of the invention resides in arranging thestationary section of the bracket in such manner that it extendsdownwardly from the underside ofythe table top and thereby eliminatesthe needfor the aforementioned side board or panel, thus making itpossible to easily and conveniently install the drop leaf structure ontables where the side board or panel is not provided.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the provision ofan integral brace for the downwardly extending portion of the stationarysection of the bracket, such a brace being secured to the underside ofthe table top to firmly hold the downwardly extending bracket portion inplace and prevent the same from yielding under the thrust of thesupporting strut.

Another important feature of the invention resides in forming themovable portion of the bracket in such man- J 2,782,086 iC rate -t arev;- 19, 1957 ner thatit affords a substantial reinforcement for thedrop leaf to which itis fastened, thu s eliminating the need forseparate drop leaf reinforcements such as are commonly used. H

Another importantfeature of the invention involves the provision of anadjustment in fitting thesupporting strut to the bracket, whereby thesame bracket may be effectively used in conjunction with struts ofdifferent lengths.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity ofconstruction, in its durability, and in its adaptability to convenient"and economical manufacture.

With the foregoing moreimportant objects and features in view and suchobjects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, theinvention resides in the arrangement of parts and detailsof constructionsubstantially as shown in the accompanying drawing,wherein like characters of reference are employed to designatelikeiparts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a'bracket constructed inaccordance with the'invention, also showing *aportion of the table top,dropleaf and supporting strut in the'plane of the-line 4-"4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is aitypical'crosssectional view ta'ken substantially inthe'planes of the lines 5-5 in'Figures 1 and 3; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectionalview, taken substantially 'in the plane ofthe line 6-6 in Figure 3.

Referring now'tothe accompanying drawing in detail, the combinedsupporting, reinforcing and hinge bracket in accordance with theinvention is designated generally by the reference'numeral 10, and is"adapted for use in conjunction with any suitable table top 11, a dropleaf 12 and a conventional collapsible or foldable supporting strut 13for the drop leaf. For all practical purposes, the top 11 need no benecessarily associated with a table as such, but may be any horizontalboard, shelf, bench, or the like, to which a drop leaf is desired to beapplied. H

The bracket 10 comprises two main components or sections, namely, arelatively stationary section 10a and a relatively movable section 10b,the two sections being connected together by ahinge pin 14 as will behereina'fter more fully explained.

Both bracket sections 10a and 10b are formed from strap material, suchas by a die, and the stationary section 10a comprises a relatively fiattop portion 15 formed with knuckles 16 for the hinge pin 14 and alsoformed with apertures 17 to receive screws 18 for securing the same tothe underside of the top ll adjacent its marginal edge.

An integral continuation of the top portion 15 is downturned and has itsside edge portions turned inwardly so as to form a channel-shaped member19 of a U-shaped cross-section, clearly shown in Figured. The member 19extends perpendicularly and downwardly from the underside of the top 11and is reinforced by a diagonal brace 20 which constitutes an integralcontinuation of the lower end of the member 19. The portion 21 of thebracket section 10a connecting the member 19 to the brace 20 is roundedand is formed by gradually outturning the inturned side edge portions atthe lower end of the member19 so that "at the poin't'Zl the bracket issubstantially flat in cross-section. Thereupon, the crosssection isagain modified by turning the side edge portions of the brace upwardlyat an angle of approximately 45 as shown in Figure 4, wherebysubstantial rigidity of the brace 20 is assured.

The brace 20 extends upwardly and inwardly from the lower end of themember 19 and the upper end of the brace is flattened and turned to ahorizontal plane so as to provide a flange 22 formed with apertures 23for screws 24, whereby the upper end of the brace is secured to theunderside of the top 11.

The movable section 1012 of the bracket 10 comprises a channel-shapedbody portion 25 having a flat inner end portion 26, the portions 25 and26 being formed with a plurality of apertures 27 to receive screws 28whereby the entire bracket section 10b is secured to the underside ofthe drop leaf 12. The flattened portion 26 is equipped with knuckles 29'coacting with the aforementioned knuckles 16 to accommodate the hingepin 14, whereby the two bracket sections 10a and 10!) are hingcdlyconnected together.

It is to be noted that by virtue of its channel-shaped configuration,the bracket section 10b secured to the underside of the drop leaf willsubstantially reinforce the same, so that no additional reinforcingmeans for the drop leaf are necessary.

The bracket portion 25 is provided at predetermined distances from thehinge pin 14 and at a fixed distance from the underside of the drop leafwith pairs of transversely aligned apertures 30, 31 to selectivelyreceive a V V removable fastening element such as a pin or screw 32 forpivotally attaching the upper end of the aforementioned strut 13 to thebracket section 10b. Similarly, the member 19 is provided at a fixedhorizontal distance from the hinge pin 14 and at predetermined distancesfrom the underside of the top 11 with pairs of transversely alignedapertures 33, 34 to receive a fastening element 35 pivotally attachingthe lower end of the strut 13 to the bracket portion 10a.

It may be explained at this point that in accordance with usualpractice, the strut 13 is customarily provided at its ends with mountingears (not shown). However, when the strut is used in conjunction withthe instant bracket, such mounting ears are not necessary inasmuch astheir function is performed by the bracket portions 19 and 25. The strut13 is also available in different lengths, and when a strut of therelative length shown is used, the fastening elements 32, 35 areinstalled in the apertures 30, 33, as illustrated. If a shorter strut isto be used, the elements 32, 35 are installed in the apertures 31, 34-.The location of these various apertures is always such that properrelationship of the strut to the hinge pin 14 is maintained and correctfolding action of both the strut and the drop leaf is facilitated.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the instant inventionperforms several different functions, namely, (1) the provision of ahinge between the drop leaf and the table top, (2) reinforcement of thedrop leaf, (3) attaching means for the ends of the strut in place ofconventional mounting ears on the strut, and (4) a strut support at theunderside of the table top in place of the usual side board or panel ofthe table.

It is intended that the bracket 16 be supplied together with the strut13 in situ, so that the unit may be quickly and easily attached to theunderside of the table top and drop leaf without the necessity of makingcomplex measurements in locating the strut with respect to the hinge. Aswill be noted, the removable fastening element 32 permits the upper endof the strut to be detached from the bracket portion 25 and swung aboutthe fastening element 35 out of the way, to facilitate installation ofthe screws 28 in the center of the bracket portion 25. With thisaccomplished, the strut may be again connected to the portion 25 bysimply installing the element 32.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferredembodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparentto those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly,it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and variousmodifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

l. The combination of a table top having an overhanging edge portion, adrop leaf for said table top, a combined supporting and hinge bracketcomprising a stationary section secured to and extending downwardly fromthe overhanging edge portion of said table top and a movable sectionhinged to said stationary section and secured to the underside of saiddrop leaf, and a collapsible supporting strut pivoted at its oppositeends to the respective stationary and movable sections of said bracket.

2. A combined supporting and hinge bracket for attaching a drop leaf toan overhanging edge portion of a table top, said bracket comprising astationary section adapted to be secured to and extend downwardly fromthe underside of a table top and a movable section hinged to saidstationary section and adapted to be secured to the underside of a dropleaf, said stationary and movable sections of said bracket being formedwith apertures for pivotally attaching the ends of a collapsible strutthereto.

3. The combination of a table top having an overhanging edge portiondevoid of an underside support, a drop leaf for said table top, acombined supporting reinforcing and hinge bracket comprising astationary section having a substantially flat top portion secured tothe underside of said table top at the edge portion thereof, adownwardly extending member integral with said top portion and spacedinwardly from the edge of the table top,.and a diagonal brace integralwith the lower end of said member, said brace extending upwardly andinwardly from said member and being secured at its upper end to theunderside of said table top, and a movable section secured to theunderside of said drop leaf, said movable section being substantiallychannelshaped and including a relatively flat inner end portion hingedto the top portion of said stationary section, and a collapsiblesupporting strut pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said memberand to the channelshaped portion of said movable section.

4. A combined supporting reinforcing and hinge bracket for attaching adrop leaf to an overhanging edge portion of a table top, said bracketcomprising a stationary section having a substantially fiat top pieceadapted to be secured to the underside of a table top adjacent the edgethereof, a downwardly extending member integral with said top portion,and a diagonal brace integral with the lower end of said member, saidbrace extending upwardly and inwardly from said member and being adaptedat its upper end for securing to the underside of a table top, and amovable section adapted to be secured to the underside of a drop leaf,said movable section being substantially channel-shaped and including arelatively flat inner end portion hinged to the top portion of saidstationary section, said member and the channel-shaped portion of saidmovable section being formed with apertures for pivotally attaching theends of a collapsible supporting strut thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS790,793 Koch May 23, 1905 ,426 Hill Sept. 26, 1911 7,046 Baird May 21,1918 80,289 Cummings Apr. 13, 1926 4,003 Luppert May 26, 1942 6,447McFall Apr. 13, 1943 2, 77,399 Bell Dec. 4, I951

